For star of 'Gypsy,' art imitates life

Story of performer raised by stage mother has special resonance for Kelsey Crouch

Joseph Dalto, Times Union

By Joseph Dalton

Published 4:16 pm, Thursday, March 13, 2014

Mama Rose (Mary Callanan) dotes on daughter Baby June (Alexis Papaleo) as she grooms her to rise from child star to Vaudeville queen while Baby Louise (Amelia Rose Allen) serves as back up in Baby June's act. (Photo by Joe Schuyler)

The farm boys of GYPSY: A Musical Fable. Freddy Ramirez serves as the Choreographer, Dance Captain, and plays the role of L.A. John T. Wolfe plays Yonkers, Connor Russell plays Angie and Matt Gibson, who was in GYPSY on Broadway starring Pattie Lupone, plays Tulsa in Capital Repertory Theatre's production of GYPSY: A Musical Fable. (Photo by Joe Schuyler)

Mary Callanan makes her Capital Repertory Theatre debut as Mama Rose in GYPSY: A Musical Fable. Callanan was most recently seen as Mrs. Pugh in the Broadway production of Annie. (Photo by Joe Schuyler)

Nobody had a stage mother as encouraging, efficient, determined and domineering as did Rose Louise Hovick, who, after a fraught childhood on the road and onstage, finally earned fame as the burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee.

The relationship between Louise and her Mama Rose was immortalized in the classic musical, "Gypsy," with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. A new production is opening at Capital Rep with previews starting Friday. Opening night is Tuesday and the run continues through April 14.

As a kid, Crouch learned the songs ("Let Me Entertain You," "Together, Wherever We Go," "Everything's Coming Up Roses") plus some of the dialogue from Arthur Laurents' book through watching the 1962 film version of "Gypsy" with Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell. "I think I memorized the whole script before I ever got the part," adds Crouch, who's making her debut in the role.

Aside from Crouch's familiarity with the elements of the show, there's also a level of personal identification. That's because, like Louise, Crouch grew up in a showbiz family.

"I was raised in an acting studio. The environment of performing with costumes and lights was a second home," says Crouch, who explains that three out of her four parents (natural and step) were performers. "I think they encouraged me because I was good at it," she says. "They did try to dissuade me, but kind of half-heartedly."

At the head of the pack in Crouch's parental support team and cheering squad was her mom, Colleen Zenk. A veteran New York City actress, Zenk is best known for her 32 years on "As The World Turns," playing the soap opera's great villainess, Barbara Ryan. As it happens, just last summer Zenk was also appearing locally, playing Tallulah Bankhead in "Looped" at StageWorks Hudson.

"She was a stage mother a little bit," admits Crouch, "but it came out of love. She took me to ballet class and made sure I looked good on stage."

If there were difficulties in the mother-daughter relationship, it was not because Zenk was, like Mama Rose, using a daughter to live out her frustrated fantasies of being in the spotlight. Rather, it was the demands of Zenk's own success that sometimes complicated things.

"I love my mother, and I wouldn't be who I am today without her, but it wasn't easy," says Crouch. "She would leave at five in the morning and come home after dinnertime, sometimes five days a week. There was definitely a feeling of loss.

"Now, as an adult, I look back and understand how hard it was for her as well, trying to raise a family and pursue something she loved," continues Crouch. "That's the curse and the blessing of being in the arts. It can be so overwhelming."

Turning her attention to the character of Louise, Crouch maintains a similar attitude of compassion.

"She takes so much abuse, but in the end she stands up for herself, though, in a way that's as a abusive as her mother was to her," says Crouch. "So it's sad. She doesn't become a better person, but she becomes complete. In the end, I do like her, because she learns how to value herself. It's a story of survival."

Back when Crouch was watching the movie version of "Gyspy," the show existed almost in the realm of fantasy. But immersion into the reality of the show has brought about a dose of introspection.

"The journey has not been what I expected. How I first saw it as a kid was playing a princess," she says. "But the character of Louise is not really that far from me."